Among the providers that publish a standalone registered agent price, the figures run from 125 USD per year (Northwest Registered Agent) to 159 USD per year ongoing (Harbor Compliance) to 199 USD per year (ZenBusiness), as of 2026-10-06. Northwest is the lowest published standalone price and includes a business address and mail scanning. Bizee includes one free year of registered agent service with every formation package, but its renewal price is not published, so its ongoing cost cannot be compared. For a business that is forming anyway and wants one provider, ZenBusiness is the bundled option, with formation, EIN and agent together.
How much should a registered agent service cost per year?
On the published figures for the providers covered here, the range for a standalone ongoing price is 125 USD to 199 USD per year. Northwest Registered Agent sits at 125 USD, Harbor Compliance at 159 USD after a promotional first year of 99 USD, and ZenBusiness at 199 USD.
Several providers do not publish a usable agent price. CSC quotes per engagement, LegalZoom does not publish an agent price on its LLC pricing page, and Bizee publishes a free first year but no renewal figure. A free first year is a promotional rate, not an ongoing one, so the renewal is the number that decides the real annual cost.
What do Northwest and Bizee charge?
The two providers are listed alphabetically below, and the order is not a ranking. All prices were checked on the providers' own pages and are dated 2026-10-06. Where a formation price is quoted "plus state fees," the state fee is set by the state, is not the provider's price, and varies.
Bizee: Packages are Basic at 0 USD plus state fees, Standard at 199 USD and Premium at 299 USD. Every package includes one free year of registered agent service. The renewal price is not published on that page, so the cost from year two has to be confirmed before relying on the free year.
Northwest Registered Agent: Registered agent service is 125 USD per year, including a free domain, website, business address, phone line and mail scanning. Its proposition is privacy. It is the lower published ongoing price of the two, because Bizee's ongoing price is not published.
| Bizee | Northwest Registered Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Registered agent price (as of 2026-10-06) | One free year with every package; renewal not published | 125 USD per year |
| Formation | Basic 0 USD, Standard 199 USD, Premium 299 USD, plus state fees | Not covered here |
| Business address and mail scanning | Not published here | Included |
"Not published here" means this page does not cover it. It does not mean the provider offers nothing. It means a buyer should ask before assuming.
Why does the renewal price matter more than the first year?
A free or discounted first year changes the price a business pays once. The renewal sets what it pays every year after, and a registered agent is a standing obligation rather than a one-time filing.
Texas attaches consequences to failing to maintain a registered agent. According to the Texas Secretary of State, it may result in involuntary termination of a domestic entity, or revocation of a foreign entity's registration. That makes it unwise to let an agent lapse because a renewal was not checked.
Does a small business have to name a registered agent?
Registered agent law is state law and it differs. This page covers only the rules checked at the official source. For any other state, the rule varies and the state's filing office is the place to confirm it.
The California Secretary of State says corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships are required by statute to designate an agent for service of process. Its Service of Process page also states that a California entity cannot act as its own agent. The Business Entities FAQs carry the same designation requirement.
Texas takes a similar position. According to the Texas Secretary of State's Registered Agent FAQs, an entity may not serve as its own registered agent. An officer, owner or employee may serve in an individual capacity, but the entity itself cannot be the agent.
Is the registered agent's address public?
In California, yes. The Secretary of State describes its Business Search as containing the most current filings of record, including the name and address of the agent for service of process. An owner who names themselves as agent puts a personal address on that record, which is a reason some owners pay for a commercial agent. How other states publish this information varies, so check that state's filing office.
Where does ZenBusiness fit on price?
ZenBusiness charges 199 USD per year for registered agent service, sold as an add-on across its formation packages. Formation packages are Starter at 0 USD plus state fees, Pro at 199 USD and Premium at 299 USD. Pro and Premium renew at their annual prices, and the EIN and operating agreement are included from Pro up and cost 99 USD each on Starter. Free-first-year offers move and carry conditions, so the current introductory terms should be checked on the ZenBusiness page, and the figure to plan around is the 199 USD renewal.
A business being formed now has a sequence of jobs: the entity, the EIN, a separate business account, and then books. The registered agent sits inside the first step, because the filing needs an agent named at the outset. Buying the agent from the company that files the entity means one vendor and one renewal to track.
Customers who form with ZenBusiness can also get a free accounting consultation through ZenBusiness, which covers the step after the entity exists. The U.S. Small Business Administration's Register Your Business guide is a general starting point for the state-level steps in setting up a new business. That is a bundling argument, and it costs more per year than Northwest, so an existing entity that needs only an agent is better served by the lower published price.
Which option suits which business?
- Wanting the lowest published ongoing price, or an address kept off the public record: Northwest Registered Agent.
- Forming a new entity and wanting a free first year of agent service: Bizee, after confirming the renewal price, which is not published.
- Forming a new entity and wanting one provider for formation, EIN and agent: ZenBusiness.
An owner who later changes agent in Texas pays 15 USD to change the registered agent or registered office, using Form 401, and the Form 401 instructions on the Texas Secretary of State site set out the process. Any provider fees for switching are separate and are not covered here. Other providers, including CSC, Harbor Compliance, LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer and Tailor Brands, are outside this comparison.
What should be checked before choosing?
Confirm the renewal price rather than the first-year price, and get it in writing, because promotional and ongoing rates differ. Confirm which address the provider will list on the state filing. For any state where the business operates, check the state's filing office for its own rule on the agent, since that varies by state.
Sources
- California Secretary of State, "Service of Process"
- California Secretary of State, "Business Entities FAQs"
- Texas Secretary of State, "Registered Agent FAQs"
- U.S. Small Business Administration, "Register Your Business"
- Texas Secretary of State, "Form 401 Instructions, Change of Registered Agent or Office"
This is general information rather than legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary by state and change over time.